Princess Victoria's Wedding Cake

We may think of the Victorians as a bunch of repressed stuffed shirts, but Queen Victoria deserves most of the credit for inventing the modern wedding. She wore the first white dress, had the first bridesmaids in white, and commissioned the original tiered cake. (Before that, couples would kiss over a tall pile of iced buns for good luck.)

Not to be outdone, in 1858, the queen's daughter Princess Victoria commissioned the first columned wedding cake, modeled after the elaborate spire on top of London's St. Bride's Church. (Yes, it's really called that.) We challenged NYC confection king Ron Ben-Israel to replicate Princess Vicky's blockbuster—minus a few details. "The original cake had cherubs, royal busts, and a sculpted female body. I didn't want any figurines on the cake. Cutting into people is just weird," says Ben-Israel, who worked with a team of four people for seven days to craft his 42-inch-tall masterpiece, pictured here. Bon appétit!